Oxytropis lambertii
Pursh
Crazy weed
(c) Tyler Christensen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tyler Christensen
(c) Sam Kieschnick, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sam Kieschnick
(c) Sam Kieschnick, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sam Kieschnick
What to Eat
Edible parts: Root, Seeds
The roots and seeds are edible. The whole plant, including roots, is eaten by horses. Seeds can be parched or made into a mush for food. Caution is advised.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
Mexico, North America, USA,
How to Identify
A bean family herb. There are 9-19 leaflets that are narrow. They are 1-2.5 cm long. The flower spikes are 4-10 cm long. The flowers are purple or violet. The fruit are pods that are firm and cylinder shaped.
How to Grow
Easily grown in an ordinary garden soil but prefers a sandy loam. Best in a deep, gritty perfectly drained soil in full sun. Strongly resents winter wet. A very ornamental and variable plant. Plants resent root disturbance and so should be pot-grown then and planted out into their permanent positions whilst still small. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria called Rhizobia. These bacteria form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen, plants may fail to flourish due to the absence of the appropriate Rhizobium species. Some of the nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.
Propagation: Presoak seed for 24 hours in warm water, then sow in a greenhouse in early spring. Prick out seedlings into individual pots as soon as cotyledons emerge to avoid root damage. Grow on in the greenhouse and plant out the following spring. Divide in spring, though root disturbance is resented and division may not be advisable.
Medicinal Uses
None known
Other Uses
The plant fixes atmospheric nitrogen. It has scented properties.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Oxytropis lambertii is a nitrogen-fixing perennial growing to 0.3 m (1 ft) tall. Hardy to UK zone 3. Hermaphroditic flowers bloom July to August. It prefers light sandy or medium loamy well-drained soils in mildly acid to basic pH levels. The plant requires full sun and tolerates both dry and moist soil.
Notes
There are about 300 Oxytropis species. It is considered to have medicinal properties.
Names & Synonyms
References (4)
- Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
- Fl. Amer. sept. 2:740. 1813-1814
- Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 374
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
